POLITICAL NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 45, Issue 13985, 22 November 1919, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE HOUSING PROBLEM—A "SOLUTION."

Questioned on the housing problem, Mr Evelyn "Macdonald (Independent liberal condidate for the Otaki seat) said he could show some of the people of Wellington where they could find houses —empty farm houses. He could take them across a. wide urea, through tho Forty Mile Bush, Hawke's Bay, and to the coast, where there were empty houses once peopled by hopeful settlers. At election after election they had been cajoled with promises. Was it a wonder if he was, as his opponent had said, of a "pronounced radical tendency.'' WHY PRODUCE IS DEAR. Touching, in a speech at Sydenham, on the limitless resources of New Zealand, Dr. Thacker said that the worker should get access to all the prime products of, the country at export price, plus the cost of retailing. He put men and women on an equal plane, and would aljvays vote for women iv Parliament. When a proper living wage was given to a man or a woman, and there were still profits in the business, the workers iv it should get a rational share of the profit. (Applause.) Tho graduated land and income tax should not stop at £(14.00, but should go on vigorously, to take the burden off the workers, who were carrying these social parasites. The mortgaged small farmer should not have to pay land and income tax on his mortgage, and it was the high interest that these men had to pay for money that made produce dear. The Dominion must produce more, by specialisation. With State control of the mines, ferry services, collieries, and other services, the cost of living would be reduced. THE BOARD OF TRADE — "A JOKE." Referring to the profiteering which, ho said, was rampant in New Zealand, Mr Monteith (Labour candidate, for Wellington East), in his address at Kilbirnic last night, said that the

Board of Trade had not done its duty— it was a huge joke. It had professed to make investigations aud to act in the interests of the public—to protect the people—but it was a strange ttr-ig that it usually found work to do in the matter of investigation when there was a race meeting on. It had gona to Christehurch to investigate. But, ther.3 was a race meeting (the Zealand Cup meeting) on at tne time. He hoped the investigations of fhe Board of Trade had proved profitable.